Harry Potter and the title I haven't come up with
by Maggie Silverstein
Summary: Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for the remaining horcruxes. SPOILERS!Warning: I'm not exactly the best writer in the world, as I'm still in school. Sometimes my plots require things being there that weren't in the first chapter. Not my fault. It's a
1. Once Again

Chapter 1: Once Again

The sky was a bright, clear blue as 3 cloaked figures stood in the middle of a crowed London suburb. One of the figures nodded and removed the hood to reveal sleek, combed brown hair and small, square glasses. His companions followed him inside one of the houses. Hours later, when the sun had already set, they left the house with a packet of papers in hand. The tallest removed a sign from the yard. If someone had looked out the window at them, they would have thought the sign had disappeared. If that same someone had looked out the same window, they would have thought the three people had disappeared. And indeed they had.

The brown haired boy rang the door bell of a different house miles away. "Who would be calling at this time! It's nearly midnight!" A man inside yelled, but still came to the door. "Oh, it's you. Well, you'd better come in. That old coot isn't with you, is he?" Harry Potter stepped through the door. After the door was closed, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger removed their hoods, both showing brilliantly blonde hair.

"You'll not get anything to eat, mind you. What did you do to your hair? You've finally combed it, have you? Gotten all the dirt out of it? You! Didn't you have red hair? What are you doing here? That old man said you'd come back, but when you didn't show up a few days ago, we'd figured you weren't coming. How long do you expect we'll let the three of you stay here?"

Harry ushered his friends into the living room while his uncle fussed about anything and everything. They all sat on the couch while Aunt Petunia stared at them. "Hello, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon. I've things to discus with you." Vernon sat next to Petunia, looking just as flabbergasted as ever. "As you know, Voldemort, stop it Ron, has returned. Dumbledore, the "old coot", is gone. He was killed by one of my teachers. Hogwarts, my school, is closed because of Voldemort." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione grab Ron's hand as it began to twitch. "I'm here because I have to come here because, like it or not, you're my family. We're looking for a way to stop Voldemort so everything can go back to normal, or at least as normal as it can get. But we've had to hide, so we changed our hair. We'll go to my room now. Good night."

For a few moments, Harry's Aunt and Uncle sat silently on the couch. Harry made it to the door before either of them said anything. To everyone's surprise, it was Aunt Petunia who spoke first. "You…you think you can just tell us this and…what's going to happen to us! Normal people have been suffering because of your…your people! You listen to me! This is our house, and you and your friends are guests in it! You!" she yelled, pointing violently at Hermione. "You will sleep in the guest room. Now…go! All of you!"

"She's not usually like that," Harry said when they got to the stairs.

"Goodnight, Harry. Goodnight, Ron," Hermione called as she disappeared into the guest room.

"Hermione. Hermione! Wake up!" Harry opened the window while Ron shook Hermione awake. The sun wasn't up yet, but they'd already packed what little stuff they'd brought. "Hermione, we have to get going!" Harry didn't say anything, but dropped their things out the window. He and Ron grabbed onto her hands and lifted her out the window, then climbed out themselves. It was dangerous to use magic here or anywhere nowadays.

When they were a few streets away, near Magnolia Crescent, Hermione stopped the boys. "Why are we leaving your Uncle's house? What's wrong? Did he attack someone? Is it Ginny? Won't someone stop me from asking questions!"

Ron just grabbed her hand and they ran farther. They were almost to Hampshire before they stopped again. "Will you please tell me where you're going? Why am I always the one out of the loop? Can we stop for just one minute? I'm tired of this! Stop!"

"Hermione, will you please keep your voice down. You don't know who could be hiding here! We're going somewhere…familiar. We're walking. Now, shut up!" Harry turned around and kept walking. The sun was beginning to rise, but they didn't stop. They simply put their cloaks up and kept walking, wands at the ready, just in case. Harry could hear Hermione getting restless again. He hadn't told Ron where they were going either. He couldn't risk anything, even telling his best friends what his plans were. But he was risking this. One last trip to the place he wished he could call home.

They walked for hours and they were still in Hampshire. It would take them days to get to their destination, Harry knew, and it would be dangerous, but he had to. He just had to see…. When the sun set, Hermione stopped again. "We have to keep moving," Harry told her. She set her face and kept walking behind him. They'd just made it to Wiltshire when she collapsed. Harry realized how long they'd been walking. Without food. And without water. But he couldn't stop.

"Ron, help me." They picked her up and carried her until the moon had nearly set and the sun was beginning to come up again. His feet hurt. "Okay. We'll stop and rest here. If we start again in a few hours, we'll make it there by tomorrow, hopefully." The three friends sat down under a tree and fell asleep.

"Who's there?" a terrified voice yelled from inside.

"It's us," Harry said.

"Us who!"

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

There was a murmur of conversation inside the house and a pair of eyes appeared at a hole, looked at the three of them in turn, and looked back at the other person inside the house. "Prove it! Harry, if you're really Harry, what did we have for dessert the night before the Quidditch World Cup?"

"Strawberry ice cream."

The door opened and Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the warm kitchen of the Burrow. "If Harry got the question right, there's no use questioning the two of you. Come and sit down! Have a bit of…well, I don't suppose it's breakfast time yet. Soup? Toast? I bet Molly can make more of that strawberry ice cream!" Mr. Weasley pulled them all into a giant hug before they sat at the table where Bill, who was still wrapped in bandages, was sitting.

A few minutes later, they heard a scream of delight and were once again hugged tightly. Mrs. Weasley was weeping with joy as she fixed all their sandwiches. "We thought we were never going to see you again, with all the attacks on other students and muggles! There was an attack in Surrey a few nights ago and we feared the worst!"

"We left a few nights ago," Harry said. "My aunt and uncle weren't very pleased to see us, but we left a few hours after we got there. We walked here."

After a very hearty breakfast, lunch, and dinner they were all shuffled up the stairs to go to bed. Hermione left at Ginny's room, and Harry and Ron were left to traverse the stairs all the way up to the floor below the attic. Fred and George had come home after Diagon Alley had been blown up, so Harry would be staying in Ron's room once again. He didn't object. It was reassuring to look at all the orange Chudley Canon posters. Professional Quidditch hadn't been played since their 6th year had started and Harry realized that Ron probably hadn't had time to remove the posters, or the energy.

The sun was barely up when Harry awoke from his trancelike sleep. He felt as though he hadn't slept in weeks, which was almost true. Danger was lurking around every corner. Few Death Eaters had been caught in the past few weeks and Voldemort hadn't been seen in over a year.

He sat up in bed and swung his feet onto the floor. As quietly as he could, he snuck down the stairs and opened a door. He could hear Hermione conversing in the kitchen with Mrs. Weasley. The door squeaked as he opened it wider. Ginny's red hair was already shining in the sunlight creeping from under her curtains. She was still asleep.

Harry bent over to kiss her on the cheek. Before he could, he was backed up against the wall, Ginny's wand at his throat. "What do you have tattooed across your chest?"

"Ginny…"

"Answer the question!"

Harry sighed and smiled. "A Hungarian Horntail. What's Ron got? Answer the question." He said mockingly.

Ginny looked him over. "He has pygmy puff. Oh, Harry!" She threw her arms around him. Harry felt as though he could never leave her warm embrace. He'd broken up with her at Dumbledore's funeral, but that was so she would be safe. She understood what would happen if Voldemort found out Harry was in love with her. He'd kill her. Harry didn't know what he would do if she died. He couldn't even stand thinking about it. He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. Things had been different since Dumbledore died. Harry didn't talk much anymore, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Ginny asked, looking deep into his eyes. Try as he could to change his appearance, Harry had not yet discovered a way to change his eyes. They were as brilliantly green as ever. "Harry, you're not telling me something. What is it?" She pulled away from him and the warmth evaporated from Harry's body.

He sighed and went to the window, opening the curtains. "He was there. In Surrey, on the night we left. I ran. I ran away from my destiny. I have to kill him, Ginny. He was right there and I ran away!" It was true. Harry had seen him, searching the houses of Privet drive. He heard the frightened exclamations of his muggle neighbors. He saw the flashes of green light and knew that in the morning, muggle police would be swarming.

"Harry, you would have been killed if you'd faced him then! You would have put Hermione and my brother in danger! You did the right thing," Ginny said calmly as she put her hands on his shoulders. "Come back to me. Just be here. With me."


	2. Helga's Horcrux

Chapter 2: Helga's Horcrux

"Thank you," Harry said as Mrs. Weasley handed him a cup of tea. He drank it slowly, taking in the Burrow. They were leaving tonight. He had already decided. They'd spent too much time here. Voldemort might already know. Ron and Hermione were upstairs, and Ginny was in the living room playing with Arnold.

Mrs. Weasley had spent a good amount of time complaining about their hair, and how little they, especially Harry, were eating. Harry finished his tea and went up stairs to talk to Ron and Hermione and tell them they were leaving. They would be upset. The Burrow was everyone's favorite place, at least, everyone that had been there. He opened the door to Ron's room and found Ron and Hermione standing on opposite sides, both looking extremely guilty.

Harry smiled. "Still finding time to snogg?" They sat down on Ron's bed and looked at Harry. "We're leaving tonight after dinner. I'm sorry, but we've stayed here too long. Voldemort probably knows we're here, and if he does, that means he's going to come here. We can't put your family-"

"You mean Ginny," Ron said.

"We can't put your family in more danger than they already are. Ginny is part of your family. If we're lucky, we'll get out of here without anyone getting hurt, especially us. We'll go without saying anything to anyone, even Ginny. Not even goodbye," he told them. Ron stood up and reluctantly began to shove things into a bag. He stopped when he came to a picture of the three of them. They stood as if in a trance, looking at the photograph. It was from their 3rd year. Things had been different back then. Voldemort hadn't been terrorizing everyone, and the only thing they had to worry about was their potions final.

Harry snapped back to reality when a door slammed. "That's it! You're just leaving! I hate this! I hate you! How could you do this to me, Harry?" Ron and Hermione left the room and closed the door. "Answer me, Harry! How could you do this to me! I thought you loved me! Why do you keep putting yourself in danger? You're part of this family too, Harry! You've always been part of this family! Part of my family! Part of me! I'm always going to be in danger, whether I'm with your or not! Harry, why can't you see that I love you? Why isn't love enough? Do you even love me? How do I know you love me? Where is this love? I can't see it. I can't touch it. I can't feel it. I can hear it. I can hear some words, but I can't do anything with your easy words."

She was cut off by a bone chilling scream from the kitchen. Both of their eyes widened. They ran downstairs. Mrs. Weasley sat crumpled at the foot of a chair. Ginny rushed to help her up and Harry ran outside. He couldn't find the dark mark anywhere. It must have been something else. Something worse.

"Mrs. Weasley…" She pointed to a letter on the table.

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,_

_It is with deep regret and sympathy that I am informing you this evening of the most unfortunate occurrence. Your son, Percival Weasley, Assistant to Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic, has perished in the line of duty at the Ministry of Magic in London, England. It is clear that the Dark Lord He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his Death Eaters were behind the attack. The Ministry of Magic is deeply sorry for your loss and accepts all responsibility._

_Rufus Scrimgeour_

_Minister of Magic_

Harry hugged Ginny. He knew how it felt to loose a family member, but he still couldn't imagine the pain that Mrs. Weasley was going through. Percy had been her favorite son while he was at Hogwarts, and when he'd refused to talk to them, she'd still hoped he would come back.

He let go of Ginny and went to the cupboard, taking out cups for tea. Ginny was right. This was his family. He knew the Burrow like the back of his hand. He set the kettle on the stove and filled it with water. When the tea was ready, he filled everyone's cups. Fred and George didn't seem as distressed as Mrs. Weasley over Percy's death. The last time Harry had seen Percy, he'd been covered in potato. He'd begun shaking when he got to Ginny's and then his cup. He hadn't liked Percy either. Why was he shaking?

Ginny took a sip from her cup. It looked familiar, but not because it had been used by Harry many times before. She set her cup down and Harry gasped. He raised his wand and, silently saying a spell, broke the cup.  
"Harry!" Everyone looked at him as the hot tea dripped off the table onto his lap. Hermione and Ginny both looked horrified. He picked a tiny piece of gold out of his hand, where it had penetrated the skin and he'd begun to bleed. Hermione reached for her wand to repair the cup.

"No, Hermione don't!" Harry exclaimed. He turned over the pieces of the cup until they were all facing up, then he placed the pieces like a puzzle until they formed "A badger. This was Helga Hufflepuff's cup! This was the horcrux! It's been at the Burrow all this time. This is what I've been looking for. Well, one of the things. I wasn't going to tell you, but we're leaving tonight to go look for the other horcruxes. I'd really like to stay but I can't. We have to leave so what happened to Percy doesn't happen to you or anyone else."

"Harry, shut up! We didn't want you to leave before! Now, my brother is dead and you're still leaving!" He stood up and tried to stop her from going on, but she picked up a frying pan from the sink and swung it. It barely missed Harry's head, he started to take the frying pan, but he'd forgotten the Ginny was a Quidditch player. She came around from the other side, colliding with his head.

Stars began to float around the kitchen. Then, everything went dark.

Harry moaned. His head hurt and someone was running their fingers through his hair. He tried to sit up, but the throbbing pain force him back down. "Where am I?" Someone above shushed him. He opened his eyes and saw Ginny. "Ginny. What happened?"

"I hit you with the frying pan. And I'm not sorry, so don't ask me to apologize."

"You look like an angel."

"Thank you." She reached over him and pulled a wet towel out of a bowl and began dabbing his head. Harry put his hand on his head and took it away. His hand was wet and shiny with blood. She'd hit him really hard, but he wasn't mad at her. He'd deserved it. Maybe they could stay for a few more days. After Percy's death, Ron needed to be with his family. Who was he kidding? Ron hated Percy. He just couldn't leave Ginny and now he realized it.

He sat up, with much help from Ginny. "Ginny, I'm sorry. I didn't want to say good-bye, because I didn't want it to feel like I was saying good-bye forever. I don't want to leave, but I have to so you'll be safe. I know you love me. I love you too. How could you not know that? Love is enough. That's the power I have that Voldemort doesn't, and can never understand."

Ginny stood up. "You can cut the sob story, Harry. I know you don't want me with you, so why don't you just leave and spare me the heart ache?"

"But I do want you with me," Harry said shocked. He gripped a chair and used it to help himself to his knees. "Didn't you understand? I don't want to leave you, and if you say yes, I won't ever have to. Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?"

Time stopped and all was silent for what seemed like a millennium. Neither of them moved. Ginny blinked and Harry stood up. He walked towards her. Suddenly, her hand made contact with the side of his head. She'd smacked him, but without a frying pan, so it didn't hurt as much. All his thoughts rushed together. Was this supposed to happen? He'd never proposed to anyone before, so he wouldn't know. But he didn't think that there was supposed to be slapping involved. "So I guess that means you won't marry me?"

"You're proposing to me!" she exclaimed. "You're proposing to me because you know we're both probably going to die so you won't ever have to actually marry me!"

"I'm proposing to you because I love you, and so when we don't die, I'll have someone there with me to be just mine," Harry told her, taking her in his arms. "So I'm going to ask again. Ginny, will you marry me?" She seemed to be thinking over everything he'd told her.

Finally, she smiled. "Yes. But you have to promise me that you won't die."

"I promise."

"Mom, Dad…Harry and I have something to tell you," Ginny said. Everyone was gathered in the kitchen again. Mrs. Weasley was still crying over Percy, but the rest of them looked intently at Harry and Ginny, hoping for good news. "Harry asked me to marry him!" The kitchen was silent. "And…I said yes!"

"What?" was the most popular response. In fact, everyone said it in unison. The two people who looked the most shocked were Ron and Hermione. Harry looked at Ginny and smiled. They didn't take it terribly, so he supposed that was good. Fred was the first one to say anything with more than one syllable. "Are you catering or having Mum cook?" Everyone, except Mrs. Weasley, laughed. It felt good to laugh. Harry had forgotten what it felt like.

Mrs. Weasley stood up, walked over to them, and hugged them both, breaking into huge sobs again. When she finally stopped crying, she was smiling.

Everyone else took that as their cue to get up and congratulate Harry and Ginny. Under his breath, Ron mumbled, "I should have thought of that." Only Harry heard him.


	3. The Last of the Burrow

Chapter 2: Helga's Horcrux

"Thank you," Harry said as Mrs. Weasley handed him a cup of tea. He drank it slowly, taking in the Burrow. They were leaving tonight. He had already decided. They'd spent too much time here. Voldemort might already know. Ron and Hermione were upstairs, and Ginny was in the living room playing with Arnold.

Mrs. Weasley had spent a good amount of time complaining about their hair, and how little they, especially Harry, were eating. Harry finished his tea and went up stairs to talk to Ron and Hermione and tell them they were leaving. They would be upset. The Burrow was everyone's favorite place, at least, everyone that had been there. He opened the door to Ron's room and found Ron and Hermione standing on opposite sides, both looking extremely guilty.

Harry smiled. "Still finding time to snogg?" They sat down on Ron's bed and looked at Harry. "We're leaving tonight after dinner. I'm sorry, but we've stayed here too long. Voldemort probably knows we're here, and if he does, that means he's going to come here. We can't put your family-"

"You mean Ginny," Ron said.

"We can't put your family in more danger than they already are. Ginny is part of your family. If we're lucky, we'll get out of here without anyone getting hurt, especially us. We'll go without saying anything to anyone, even Ginny. Not even goodbye," he told them. Ron stood up and reluctantly began to shove things into a bag. He stopped when he came to a picture of the three of them. They stood as if in a trance, looking at the photograph. It was from their 3rd year. Things had been different back then. Voldemort hadn't been terrorizing everyone, and the only thing they had to worry about was their potions final.

Harry snapped back to reality when a door slammed. "That's it! You're just leaving! I hate this! I hate you! How could you do this to me, Harry?" Ron and Hermione left the room and closed the door. "Answer me, Harry! How could you do this to me! I thought you loved me! Why do you keep putting yourself in danger? You're part of this family too, Harry! You've always been part of this family! Part of my family! Part of me! I'm always going to be in danger, whether I'm with your or not! Harry, why can't you see that I love you? Why isn't love enough? Do you even love me? How do I know you love me? Where is this love? I can't see it. I can't touch it. I can't feel it. I can hear it. I can hear some words, but I can't do anything with your easy words."

She was cut off by a bone chilling scream from the kitchen. Both of their eyes widened. They ran downstairs. Mrs. Weasley sat crumpled at the foot of a chair. Ginny rushed to help her up and Harry ran outside. He couldn't find the dark mark anywhere. It must have been something else. Something worse.

"Mrs. Weasley…" She pointed to a letter on the table.

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,_

_It is with deep regret and sympathy that I am informing you this evening of the most unfortunate occurrence. Your son, Percival Weasley, Assistant to Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic, has perished in the line of duty at the Ministry of Magic in London, England. It is clear that the Dark Lord He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his Death Eaters were behind the attack. The Ministry of Magic is deeply sorry for your loss and accepts all responsibility._

_Rufus Scrimgeour_

_Minister of Magic_

Harry hugged Ginny. He knew how it felt to loose a family member, but he still couldn't imagine the pain that Mrs. Weasley was going through. Percy had been her favorite son while he was at Hogwarts, and when he'd refused to talk to them, she'd still hoped he would come back.

He let go of Ginny and went to the cupboard, taking out cups for tea. Ginny was right. This was his family. He knew the Burrow like the back of his hand. He set the kettle on the stove and filled it with water. When the tea was ready, he filled everyone's cups. Fred and George didn't seem as distressed as Mrs. Weasley over Percy's death. The last time Harry had seen Percy, he'd been covered in potato. He'd begun shaking when he got to Ginny's and then his cup. He hadn't liked Percy either. Why was he shaking?

Ginny took a sip from her cup. It looked familiar, but not because it had been used by Harry many times before. She set her cup down and Harry gasped. He raised his wand and, silently saying a spell, broke the cup.  
"Harry!" Everyone looked at him as the hot tea dripped off the table onto his lap. Hermione and Ginny both looked horrified. He picked a tiny piece of gold out of his hand, where it had penetrated the skin and he'd begun to bleed. Hermione reached for her wand to repair the cup.

"No, Hermione don't!" Harry exclaimed. He turned over the pieces of the cup until they were all facing up, then he placed the pieces like a puzzle until they formed "A badger. This was Helga Hufflepuff's cup! This was the horcrux! It's been at the Burrow all this time. This is what I've been looking for. Well, one of the things. I wasn't going to tell you, but we're leaving tonight to go look for the other horcruxes. I'd really like to stay but I can't. We have to leave so what happened to Percy doesn't happen to you or anyone else."

"Harry, shut up! We didn't want you to leave before! Now, my brother is dead and you're still leaving!" He stood up and tried to stop her from going on, but she picked up a frying pan from the sink and swung it. It barely missed Harry's head, he started to take the frying pan, but he'd forgotten the Ginny was a Quidditch player. She came around from the other side, colliding with his head.

Stars began to float around the kitchen. Then, everything went dark.

Harry moaned. His head hurt and someone was running their fingers through his hair. He tried to sit up, but the throbbing pain force him back down. "Where am I?" Someone above shushed him. He opened his eyes and saw Ginny. "Ginny. What happened?"

"I hit you with the frying pan. And I'm not sorry, so don't ask me to apologize."

"You look like an angel."

"Thank you." She reached over him and pulled a wet towel out of a bowl and began dabbing his head. Harry put his hand on his head and took it away. His hand was wet and shiny with blood. She'd hit him really hard, but he wasn't mad at her. He'd deserved it. Maybe they could stay for a few more days. After Percy's death, Ron needed to be with his family. Who was he kidding? Ron hated Percy. He just couldn't leave Ginny and now he realized it.

He sat up, with much help from Ginny. "Ginny, I'm sorry. I didn't want to say good-bye, because I didn't want it to feel like I was saying good-bye forever. I don't want to leave, but I have to so you'll be safe. I know you love me. I love you too. How could you not know that? Love is enough. That's the power I have that Voldemort doesn't, and can never understand."

Ginny stood up. "You can cut the sob story, Harry. I know you don't want me with you, so why don't you just leave and spare me the heart ache?"

"But I do want you with me," Harry said shocked. He gripped a chair and used it to help himself to his knees. "Didn't you understand? I don't want to leave you, and if you say yes, I won't ever have to. Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?"

Time stopped and all was silent for what seemed like a millennium. Neither of them moved. Ginny blinked and Harry stood up. He walked towards her. Suddenly, her hand made contact with the side of his head. She'd smacked him, but without a frying pan, so it didn't hurt as much. All his thoughts rushed together. Was this supposed to happen? He'd never proposed to anyone before, so he wouldn't know. But he didn't think that there was supposed to be slapping involved. "So I guess that means you won't marry me?"

"You're proposing to me!" she exclaimed. "You're proposing to me because you know we're both probably going to die so you won't ever have to actually marry me!"

"I'm proposing to you because I love you, and so when we don't die, I'll have someone there with me to be just mine," Harry told her, taking her in his arms. "So I'm going to ask again. Ginny, will you marry me?" She seemed to be thinking over everything he'd told her.

Finally, she smiled. "Yes. But you have to promise me that you won't die."

"I promise."

"Mom, Dad…Harry and I have something to tell you," Ginny said. Everyone was gathered in the kitchen again. Mrs. Weasley was still crying over Percy, but the rest of them looked intently at Harry and Ginny, hoping for good news. "Harry asked me to marry him!" The kitchen was silent. "And…I said yes!"

"What?" was the most popular response. In fact, everyone said it in unison. The two people who looked the most shocked were Ron and Hermione. Harry looked at Ginny and smiled. They didn't take it terribly, so he supposed that was good. Fred was the first one to say anything with more than one syllable. "Are you catering or having Mum cook?" Everyone, except Mrs. Weasley, laughed. It felt good to laugh. Harry had forgotten what it felt like.

Mrs. Weasley stood up, walked over to them, and hugged them both, breaking into huge sobs again. When she finally stopped crying, she was smiling.

Everyone else took that as their cue to get up and congratulate Harry and Ginny. Under his breath, Ron mumbled, "I should have thought of that." Only Harry heard him.


	4. Grimmauld Place

Chapter 4: Grimmauld Place

_Dear Harry,_

_Hedwig stopped by, so I'm assuming that meant you wanted me to send you a letter telling you that I'm fine. Well, you're lucky day, because I am. Fred and George have been trying to make food for a few days now. They aren't very good, but they are getting better, I suppose. They managed to make me a sandwich without burning anything, though they did burn the salad... _

_I received a letter from Luna yesterday. She's fine. Her father had to stop publishing the Quibbler though. The minister figured it would be better if Mr. Lovegood didn't attract attention to himself. _

_I also received a letter from Professor McGonnagal. It seems that Hogwarts _is_ re-opening. Only a few students are coming back, though. I don't blame them, with Dumbledore gone. Luna said she was coming, and she said she'd been in contact with Neville, who's Gran feels he would be safer at Hogwarts even _with_ Dumbledore gone. She might be right, but we still don't have the second best thing. Oh, don't be like that. You were the head of the D.A. You went to find the horcrux with him. You're everyone's hero and you know it. Mum doesn't want me to go back to school, but I'll be bored out of my mind if I stay here._

_Love,_

_Ginny_

_P.S. I won't be able to come visit you in a month. Sorry. I'll keep you posted._

"So, anyone we know-" Ron asked, picking up his old routine.

"Well, if they're hurt, Ginny doesn't know it. She got a letter from Luna who got a letter from Neville. Hogwarts is back open. The three of them are going back so there'll be at least 3 students. Most of the Slytherins will probably be siding with their parents," Harry said, re-reading the letter. He sighed. "You and Hermione can go back if you want. I know how miserable she is with no homework to do."

A plate slammed on the table behind them. "Harry, we've already told you that we aren't leaving you! Pass the potatoes!" Hermione exclaimed. Ron obliged and passed the potatoes, mouth open.

"She'll be fine then, if she's at Hogwarts. Even You-Know-Who wouldn't attack the same place twice. And who's there that's worth attacking now? All the Slytherins have probably decided their greatest ambition is to be a death eater, now! You-Know-Who isn't going to waste his time on people like Luna Lovegood," Ron stated. He didn't seem to notice he was rambling, or that Harry and Hermione were looking extremely uncomfortable. "Of course, the prophecy could have been wrong and it could have been Neville it was talking about, which means that they are in danger at Hogwarts. But Professor McGonagall should have put up some spells and smashed that vanishing cabinet by now-"

"Ron!" Hermione shouted. He looked up from his plate, quite embarrassed, as though he thought only he could hear himself talk. He turned back to his plate, turning scarlet.

Hours flew by where Harry spent most of the time examining the one of the silver goblets Mundungus had tried to steal. "I suppose we should begin where we left off last time. We should start cleaning. Stay out of Sirius' room. There's nothing in there. Hermione, you go to the drawing room again," he told them. He waited until he was sure Hermione was upstairs. "Ron, you check Kreacher's room and the kitchen. I'll check the rest of the house."

"What are we supposed to be looking for?" Ron asked.

"Look for anything with the letters R.A.B."

They looked though lunch until dinner when they all sat down at the table again, exhausted. All anyone had found was an invitation to Bellatrix Lestrange's wedding in the drawing room. Harry was certain that Bellatrix had not stolen her beloved master's horcrux.

"Don't worry, Harry. We'll find something tomorrow," Hermione said soothingly, setting the plates out on the table. She spooned something onto the plates that looked like the mashed potatoes had decided to fight with the soup. It was a lumpy, half potato, half chicken monster.

"Er…Hermione?" Ron asked testily, poking at it, "What is this?"

What happened next was so fast that Harry barely had time to register it before it was over. Hermione, who had been facing the stove, had turned around, the angriest look on her face. She dug the spoon deeper into the bowl and flung spoonful after spoonful at Ron. Ron was soon so covered in potato that he bore a strange resemblance to a snow man. Harry, who was thoroughly horrified, immediately scarffed down his own chicken potato soup.

It was a long time before anyone spoke again. Harry had been too afraid to laugh. All in all, the potatoes didn't taste too bad. Ron finally cleaned all the potato off himself, though he never touched his plate.

"I think," Harry said finally, "that I'll go write back to Ginny." He got up from the table and walked upstairs. Hedwig hooted soothingly as he closed the door to his room. He sat down at the desk and pulled Ginny's letter and a quill toward him. He should start by answering the questions. Scanning the letter over and over, he realized that she hadn't asked any questions. Writing this letter was going to be harder than he thought. How exactly do you write to someone that your efforts have been fruitless and that you could die at any minute? He felt sympathy for the people in all those muggle wars.

The sun was setting before he even started on the letter and it was rising when he had finished. He felt satisfied as he tied the note to Hedwig's leg. He opened the window and shut it as soon as she had flown out, hoping no one noticed the owl appearing out of no where.

Hermione called upstairs for him to come down the breakfast. Thankfully, the toast looked like actual toast and Ron didn't end up wearing it. In fact, he didn't talk at all.

They began to search again after breakfast, but still their efforts were fruitless.

"Harry, have you thought of asking Kreacher if he knows anything about R.A.B.?" Hermione asked as they sat down once more at the table in the kitchen.

He snorted. "Why? Just so he can yell some gibberish about me being a terrible half-blooded master and befriending muggle-borns? No, thanks. All your spew stuff is fine when it comes to Dobby and Winky, but Kreacher is different. And even if he did know something, he wouldn't tell me if I asked him. He'd just go on with his stupid mutterings. If you find a way to get him here, you can ask him, but don't expect me to have anything to do with it," he said.

She looked dismally at a photograph on the wall. He sighed.

"Fine, but you're asking him. Kreacher!" A crack signaled the arrival of the bedraggled house-elf.

"Master has called Kreacher," the house-elf said, bowing quickly.

Harry turned to Hermione angrily. "Um…Kreacher, I have a question for you. Do you know anyone with the initials R.A.B.? Harry, Ron, and I have been looking for something. A locket? Do you know anything about this?"

As Harry had suspected, Kreacher pretended not to hear her. "The mudblood is talking to Kreacher again. Kreacher still won't listen. Kreacher doesn't care what she's saying. The mudblood is filth. She is spreading her filth all over Miss Bellatrix's house. This is my Mistress' house. The mudblood is in it. Kreacher won't listen to her. Kreacher won't. Master can't make him listen to the mudblood," he muttered.

"Kreacher, what do you know about R.A.B.?" Harry snapped.

The house-elf looked at him, disgusted. "R.A.B. That was my Mistress' son. Regulus. Not a disgrace. Worked for the Dark Lord. Not a blood traitor." Harry ignored him as he kept talking.

"Harry, that's it then! It's Regulus! That means it is here! You were right!"

Harry stopped her before she could go on. "Regulus was a death eater. Voldemort killed him. Well, he had him killed. He wasn't important enough for Voldemort to kill himself. It wasn't him. We're right back where we started," he said disappointedly, sitting down in a chair and rubbing his forehead. "I wish I didn't have to do this. This is all Snape's fault. He listened in on that prophecy. If it wasn't for him, I would be back at Hogwarts next week. If it wasn't for him, I'd still have parents. If it wasn't for him, Sirius and Dumbledore would still be alive! If it wasn't for him, Ginny and I…" He broke off. He'd started crying. Hermione was the only person who had ever really seen him cry.

She walked across the room, ignoring Kreacher, and hugged him. He broke away from her and opened a drawer to continue looking. She followed suit and opened a cupboard across the room.

"I don't believe this! We've looked everywhere in this entire, damn house and there's nothing! Nothing!" He threw a goblet against the wall. In the hallway, he could hear Sirius' mother's painting going at it; yelling about filthy half-bloods and mudbloods invading her house. He looked at the dent the goblet had made in the wall. It had barely missed a painting on the wall.

Harry was hit with a sudden stroke of genius. How could he not have seen it before? He ran upstairs to the drawing room, Ron and Hermione close behind him. He rushed straight to the tapestry that had magically glued itself to the wall. It was covered in scorch marks where the Blacks had blasted off family members that had 'disgraced the Black name'. Sirius wasn't on the tapestry, but Harry moved his hand next to his godfather's name. His eyes widened.

"This is it! This is the answer! We've found him! We've found R.A.B.!"


	5. RAB

Chapter 5: R.A.B.

"Harry, this is amazing! But then that means…Harry, you don't suppose…. No, that's impossible. Oh, but finding this name was impossible! Oh, Harry! This is wonderful! We're one step closer to finding the locket!" She hugged him and Ron. At first, Harry hugged her back, but his eye caught the cabinet in the corner of the room. It was the cabinet they had cleaned out with Sirius. "Harry, what's wrong?"

He rushed over to the cabinet and wrenched it open. He searched recklessly, but found nothing. Angrily, he smashed a box against the back of the cabinet. "Harry!" Hermione grabbed his arm to prevent him from smashing anything else. "Harry, we'll find the locket. Wasn't it in the other cabinet? Ron, go look in the other cabinet! We can find it. It has to be here somewhere. We didn't throw it away, did we? Maybe you could try summoning it. We'll find it. Don't worry. Ron, what are you doing?" He had opened the window as an owl flew in. Hermione went over to him and looked at the letters. She shoved them away and went back to Harry.

Harry was shaking with anger. The cabinet was vibrating. "Mundungus," he said softly. Ron and Hermione looked at him. "Mundungus stole it. That day we saw him in Hogsmeade. I saw it in his suitcase."

"Harry…" Ron said. His friend turned toward him angrily. "Hogwarts letters." He handed Harry and Hermione their letters. Harry read it to himself silently. Hogwarts...Ginny was going to be there…. He could finally see her again. At the moment, going back seemed like the best option. "We'll stay Harry. We said we would, so we will."

"No."

"What?"

He sighed. "No, we're going back. Our time will be of better use there anyway. And someone might be able to help us. Hogwarts probably has better clues than we do. We'll talk to Professor McGonagall, see if she can't let us leave school every once in a while. Snape's not there and the other teachers will understand. I'll start the D.A. again…" Just then, another owl flew through the already open window towards Harry. He pulled off the letter and read it quickly. "I changed my mind."

Ron and Hermione stared at him. "Don't worry, we're still going. I'm not starting the D.A." They began to protest, but he smiled. "Shut up so I can tell you McGonagall's asked me to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Seems Lupin can't do it because he's too busy with Order business, and no one else will take the job."

"Oh, Harry, that's wonderful! But what about your other classes? She can't honestly expect you to plan 7 classes a week and do all your homework. We're 7th years, Harry. We've got responsibility." He smiled again as Hermione went into a huge spiel about his classes and his homework. Ron rolled his eyes. "Harry, I'm talking to you!" He turned toward her. "Are you going to tell Ginny, or not?"

His face fell. He sat down and started kneading his forehead. "No," he finally said. "I'm not going to tell her. I have to be at school a day early. She'll find out I'm there at the feast, or her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, if I can help it. Come on. We've got to get a good night's sleep if we're going into Diagon Alley tomorrow."

There she was. It had been 3 weeks since he'd seen her, but it felt like longer. She was as beautiful as ever. She seemed to glow with radiance. People pushed past him as he stood transfixed in the street. He didn't notice until someone knocked him to the ground. She smiled at some friends passing by. Harry recognized Romilda Vane. Behind them was a woman who reminded him strangely of Neville's grandmother. She shuffled the girls along into Flourish and Blotts. Ginny went in after them.

Diagon Alley was almost deserted. A few buildings were still left in ruins from the explosion. Fred and George were hard at work restocking their store. Once again, it was the only store people were happy to enter.

Harry took his chance and followed the girls into the bookstore. He pulled his hood on tighter as he passed Romilda and her friends. Ron and Hermione were busy buying quills and parchment. He had promised to meet them back at Grimmauld Place in 2 hours. He was feet away from Ginny when he remembered that he had said he wouldn't tell Ginny about his new position at Hogwarts. She turned toward him and he panicked, picking up a random book from the shelf. When he thought she was gone, he lowered the book and put it back on the shelf.

As he breathed a sigh of relief, he felt a wand at his throat. "Who are you?" she asked fiercely, gritting her teeth. He didn't answer. "Don't make me ask again. Who are you?" Again he didn't answer and she shoved him up against the bookcase. "I'm not afraid to curse you until your ears fall off. Who are you!"

"I-can't-tell you!" he said, gasping for breath.

"Why? You wouldn't happen to be a Death Eater, would you! Who are you?"

"It's me! Harry! Ginny, let me go!" She loosened her grip slightly. "Ginny, please believe me."

She gritted her teeth again. "I don't believe you! I'll let you go this time, but if you try anything behind my back, you'll be sorry. Next time you pretend to be someone else, don't pick the most famous person in the Wizarding world." She threw him down to the ground and he apparated quickly to the outside of the shop. He was breathing hard. Ron and Hermione could handle buying everything. He already had what he was supposed to get. He apparated back to Grimmauld Place, still gasping for breath.

Why hadn't she believed him? He shouldn't have snuck up on her in the first place. He sat down in the kitchen, looking at his hands. Ron and Hermione wouldn't be showing up for another hour, at least.

They apparated into the kitchen and he was still sitting there. "Hello Harry," Hermione said without looking at him. She set out everything they had bought in Diagon Alley. Neither of them looked at her. "How long have you been back? Did you get everything on the list?"

"Did you see her too?" He asked. They both stopped. "I saw her. She wouldn't believe it was me. She thought I was a Death Eater." They sat down next to him. "What happens when we show up at school? She won't believe us. We told her we weren't coming. We'll have to tell her or she'll freak out."

"Harry, but you said you wouldn't tell her! We can't tell her now. We've only got a few days until we have to leave. Hedwig wouldn't get there in time anyway. She'll believe us eventually. I don't think she'll care when she sees you. You can't go around in a cloak all day at school. And what are the students supposed to call you? Professor I-don't-know-who-you-are? You can't hide forever, Harry. And we can't hide with you. We'll get to school, see her, and then she'll love you again. Oh…"

He looked at her. "Oh what?"

"Harry…what about you and Ginny? You broke up with her because you had to keep her safe. You can't go around Hogwarts holding her hand. Not to mention that's fraternizing with a student. Then again, you're not exactly qualified to be a teacher. Harry you can't treat her like anything more than your student. You can't treat any of us like more than a student, at least during class. But even outside of classes you have to act like you and Ginny aren't even friends."

Ron sighed. "Hermione…you're rambling again. Harry knows that. He'll figure it out. Come on, I'm hungry." He went to a cupboard and opened it. It was bare. "I guess I'm going shopping." He walked out of the kitchen, leaving Harry and Hermione by themselves.

Hermione sat down only to stand up again a few seconds later. She started pacing the room. "Ugh…I can't stay here. I'm sorry, Harry. I'm going to my room or out or something. I'll be back." He was alone again. He heard the door slam upstairs.

For some reason, Harry liked being alone better than being with Ron or Hermione. They were his best friends, but their constant bickering gave him a headache. If he and Hermione weren't arguing about something, he and Ron were. If he and Ron weren't arguing, Hermione and Ron were. It was an endless cycle of arguing. When they weren't arguing with each other, they were fighting a greater evil. After spending months with them, he was looking forward to some other company.

He walked upstairs into the drawing room. He looked at the tapestry on the wall again. Looking out the dusty window, he saw two people kissing below the single street light. With a smile, he realized that they were Ron and Hermione.

A cloud of dust rose as he sat down in an overstuffed armchair. Seeing Ron and Hermione kissing made him think of Ginny. She had no idea they would be seeing each other again in just three days. The clock struck one in the morning. He looked at the wizard chasing the witch around the outside of the clock.

The only reason Harry had any inkling what time it was when he finally moved from the chair was because the clocked kept striking every hour and the sun shining bright through the window. He heard Ron and Hermione come in a few hours after he'd entered the drawing room. He heard them looking for him, and then heard Ron tell Hermione that Harry probably didn't want to be found. They went further upstairs to bed, leaving him be. The door opened around 4 the next afternoon. Ron entered with a bowl of porridge. "Hermione wanted to bring this too you earlier, but I told her that 7 in the morning was too early," he said, smiling slightly and handing him the bowl. "Are you okay? You seem a bit…off."

Harry, who was eating the porridge hungrily, gulped. "I guess it was just seeing Ginny yesterday. Being threatened by my fiancée at the back of a bookstore is not exactly my idea of a good time. I don't know about you. You and your light posts…" Ron turned scarlet, just like he always did. Harry smiled. A lot had changed since their first year, but not that.

"Oh…you saw that."

"Yeah…I saw it."


	6. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Chapter 6: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

"We'll see you tomorrow, Harry." Hermione hugged him goodbye. He picked up his trunk and stood it on end like he had so many times before. His mind wandered to the three D's as it so often did when he apparated.  
The village of Hogsmeade was almost as empty as Diagon Alley. Harry was sure no Death Eater would bother showing his face here. As far as he knew, no one knew he was here. Even if they did, Hogwarts was still well protected. He looked into the various shops. Zonko's wasn't open yet. Harry supposed they didn't open until the first Hogsmeade trip. He had always showed up in the dark and rain on the first day of school. Then he realized that it was the day before the first day of school. He smiled. Muggle children usually dreaded the first day of school, but he liked it as long as he wasn't bored.  
He opened the gate and walked up the strangely dry path to the school. He opened the great oak doors slowly and walked into the entrance hall.  
"You're late, Potter." He spun around quickly to find Professor McGonagall surveying him through her square spectacles. "The other teachers arrived minutes ago. I believe you know where your office is." She smiled softly.  
The corridors seemed emptier than usual when he had walked through them alone. His office was bare. He walked to the desk and opened a drawer, half expecting something to be there. Nothing. He sighed and began unpacking. He placed his picture frames on the desk and set his books in a neat pile that even Hermione would have been proud of.  
A knock was heard at the door and Professor Flitwick walked in. "Meeting in the staff lounge, Professor Potter," he said, giggling.  
Harry stood up and caught a glance of himself in the mirror. It had been so long since he'd looked at himself he had forgotten about his hair. Ron and Hermione had changed theirs back weeks ago. He tapped his head and glasses with his wand and smiled to see his hair messy and jet black again.  
The other professors were waiting for him when he entered the staff lounge. "Finally, Potter. As we all know, there are very few students returning this year, but more than that would make me close Hogwarts. Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher needs no introduction, of course. If there are any questions, I will be in my office." Everyone else had left when Harry reached the door. "Potter, you have a lot of responsibility this year. I do not expect your academics to fall because of your duties."  
He was confused. "Duties?" he asked. He wasn't aware he had more than one. Surely she didn't expect him to do more.  
"Yes. Your duties as teacher, student, Quidditch captain, Head Boy, and, ahem, duties outside of school. Miss Granger has already informed me of your searches for the Horcruxes. I understand if you need to leave for a few days every now and then, but it was your choice to return to school, so you will understand if I expect you to try to attend all of your classes, and to teach all of your classes. Mr. Weasley can help you with the Quidditch team and your Head Boy duties. Miss Granger is, of course, Head Girl. The other professors know your predicament, so they will excuse a few homework assignments. Will any of this be a problem?"  
He thought for a long time. In a way, this was all he ever dreamed off. He just hadn't dreamed it all at once. His father had been Head Boy. He always wanted to be Quidditch Captain. Teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts was like teaching the DA, only less illegal and more times a week. And his search was almost like being part of the Order or an Auror. "Potter?"  
"No. No problem."

"Welcome back to Hogwarts. Hopefully it will be a fine year, even with so few students. Please see your prefects for class schedules after the feast. I must remind all of you not to go the Forbidden Forest or anywhere else out of bounds."  
Harry stood in the doorway of the room to the side of the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall's speech was not nearly as good as Dumbledore's had been, but he couldn't blame here. "All mail will be checked entering and leaving the school. If there is any information we feel can not leave the school, we shall be editing or returning your letter to you. You are warned so it will not come as a shock."  
There were no first years, so there had not been a sorting. There were also no Slytherins. Harry was glad about that.  
"Professor McGonagall!" His head turned toward the voice. Ginny had stood up, her hand in the air. His heart was beating so fast he could hardly breathe. "Professor, where's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"  
"Well, he's late, as he usually seems to be. Let the feast begin." She sat down and the food materialized on the now 3 long house tables and the staff table. When it appeared that everyone was so engrossed in the food, Harry snuck up to the staff table. Ginny was talking animatedly to Neville and Hermione. Ron caught his eye and smiled.  
He sat next to Hagrid and managed to go unnoticed the entire meal. The students left and Harry went up to his office.  
Ron and Hermione were waiting for him. "You have to admit this is pretty cool, mate. Your own office. Your own desk. Professor. Do you get paid? Head Boy too. And Quidditch Captain. At least I get to help you."  
"At least you'll have time to do anything but work. Did Ginny see me?" They both shook their heads. He sighed. "Well, this year I won't have to deal with Malfoy."  
"Oh, but if he was here! Detention with Filch…every night, just for being a useless scumbag. That'd be worth having to teach. Here's your schedule, by the way. You've got a class tomorrow. I kind of looked at it already." He smiled sheepishly.  
Hermione looked out the window. "I can't believe there are so few students here. I thought more would come back. I was talking to Professor Flitwick and he said there are only about 200. Usually there are almost a thousand. At least the classes are smaller. Actually, they might be bigger, seeing as there are less people in other houses. What are you going to do about Quidditch? Katie left last year, but your beaters are still here."  
"Hermione, Ron's the Co-Captain. Not you. We'll have tryouts again, just in case. I just hope people actually try out. That would be rather embarrassing to beg people to be on the Quidditch team. Especially if I got stuck begging Neville. Dean and Seamus would never let me heard the end of it." Ron laughed while Hermione scowled. They made a few more jokes about detention and some about Neville joining the Quidditch team until Ron stood up.  
"I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow, Harry."  
He and Hermione went to the door. Hermione stopped in the doorway. "Are you sure you can do this?" He smiled.

"Sorry I'm late everyone. I… He stopped dead. There were only ten students in the room. They were all DA members and all 6th years. Ginny was in the front row, gaping. Luna looked dreamily past him. "Um…hi." He waved. A few people waved feebly back at him. "I was in Herbology. A bit far. Take out your wands please," he said. No one moved, as they had already taken them out.  
"Luna, will you please get the cushions out of the back cupboard. I know you all worked on this stuff before, but I honestly thought there would be more of you. We'll start with stunning," he announced. Finally, he heard murmurs among the class.  
They each grabbed a partner and lined up by the cushions. After a few minutes they were starting to have fun watching each other fall.  
"Can we try disarming again?" asked Michael Corner, getting up from the floor, having missed his pillows. Harry nodded and moved the pillows to the other side of the room, away from the flying wands.  
Harry tried to get their attention and ended up slamming a book down on the desk. 'Class is almost over. We're going to spend the first few classes reviewing, so if you have your book from last year, just skim through it. Then we'll start nonverbal spells." Half the class raised their hands. He sighed. "If you have questions stay after class or write them down or ask me later, okay?" They put their hands down and the bell rang for break, and everyone left.  
He sat down at his desk and closed his eyes. It didn't go as bad as it could have been. He put his head on his desk and was there for 10 minutes before he remembered that he had Transfiguration next. When he started to get up, his door opened. He looked to see Ginny come in the room. For what seemed like hours, they looked at each other. He came out of his trance and looked at the clock. "We can't, Ginny. Not right now. I have to go to class. I'll see you later." He started to leave, but she just stood there. She looked sad. 'Ginny…" he said softly. She turned. "Here." He threw something silvery at her. His invisibility cloak. Then he left.  
The halls were almost empty except for the few students rushing to their classes. Harry made it to Transfiguration just as the bell rang. Professor McGonagall stood at the front of the classroom. "Well, well, I see you've decided to get here on time, Mr. Potter, though you were cutting it close. Take your seat." He sat down between Ron and Hermione.  
McGonagall spent the entire hour talking about what they were going to be doing this year. It was their last year in Hogwarts, and the most important one. Harry tried paying attention, he really did, but as soon as he saw Hermione taking notes, he turned to the window and tuned everything else out. He was thinking of Ginny. She had looked kind of mad when he first walked into the classroom. Was she mad at him for not telling her? But if he'd told her she wouldn't have believed him. No, she wasn't mad. She was shocked. He was going to see her tonight. She was going to be in his office and they would sort everything out.  
"Professor!" Harry's attention snapped back to the front of the room. "Well, at least that worked. Mr. Potter, please pay attention. These are some of the most important moments of your life, believe it or not. Now, back to your N.E.W.T. exams…"


	7. The Secret Life of Ronald Weasley

Chapter 7: The Secret Life of Ronald Weasley

"Ron, will you please pay attention!" Harry practically shouted during Defense Against the Dark Arts. It took a few seconds before Ron looked up. He had been distracted all day. Harry wondered why. "Ron, I don't want to give you detention, but this is really important." He tried not to notice that Ron turned back to the window after he realized Harry wasn't talking to him anymore.

The bell rang and Ron still sat at the table. Hermione hovered in the doorway with her bag. Harry waved her off and walked up to Ron. "Okay, what's up?" he demanded.

"What? Oh, nothing," Ron said, unconvincingly.

"I don't believe you. You know I don't. Tell me what's really going on. Hermione's getting worried too. And I think Ginny's finally caught on. What's up?" he said forcefully, pushing him back into the chair when he tried to get up and go to the door. Ron stared at him, as though the thing he wanted most was to leave and not tell Harry what he was thinking about. "Ron, please. I promise I won't tell anyone else."

Ron sighed. "It's Lavender." Harry's eyes opened in shock. "No, no. Of course we're not back together. It's not possible. She's dead. You-know-who killed her. And her family. Parvati wrote me," he said, seeing the look on Harry's face. "It's just…this is really…really happening. One day you can be joking and walking around with your friends and then…it's over." For a moment, both were silent. "So many people have died. Cedric. Sirius. Percy. Lavender. All because of V-voldemort. One man who went wrong. I don't understand how one man can do all this." Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Ron stopped him. "No, I don't want to stop searching. I want to find the horcruxes with you, and Hermione, and end this. I want everything to be…normal."

"Harry! It's a letter from Mundungus!" Hermione exclaimed, thrusting a bit of parchment into his hand at the beginning of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ron was standing excitedly beside her. Harry opened the letter.

_Potter,_

_Sorry, I sold that necklace ages ago. Got a good price for it from Borgin and Burke's. Said they'd had it before. You said you wouldn't do anything if I told you, so you'd better be telling the truth._

_Mundungus_

Harry sighed. "He's sold it. Borgin and Burke's again. We'll go there this weekend if McGonagall lets us. Sit down, class is about to start." Surprisingly, Harry wasn't upset with Mundungus. The news that the locket had been sold did not shock him. In fact, Harry was glad it had been. Hepzibah Smith had had a lot of money. The only family Harry thought of that had a lot of money was the Malfoys. And as Lucius was still in Azkaban, there was little chance the necklace had been sold.

This thought helped him get through the rest of the day. After he taught his classmates, he still had dinner, homework, quidditch practice, homework, patrolling the corridors, and more homework.

Professor McGonagall had agreed to allow Harry, Ron, and Hermione to continue their search for the locket that weekend. It was a Hogsmeade weekend and Harry doubted if anyone would even notice they were gone. While doing his homework and patrolling, he thought of exactly how they would obtain the necklace. First, they would apparate to Diagon Alley, he decided. Then they would go to Knockturn Alley and Borgin and Burke's. But then what? Would Harry have to empty the contents of his Gringotts vault to pay for the locket? Would they have to resort to torture?

The more he thought about it, the more he dreaded Saturday coming. When it finally did, very few students decided to brave the wind and rain to make the journey to Hogsmeade. Only those that fancied a butter beer or sweets from Honeyduke's.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked silently down the road towards the Hog's Head. After they'd passed the stile, they disapparated, reappearing in a deserted Diagon Alley seconds later.

Pulling up their hoods, they headed down Knockturn Alley and into Borgin and Burke's. Ron waited at the counter for the shopkeeper to come out of the back while Harry and Hermione looked around for the necklace. Borgin finally appeared, whipping his hands on a dirty cloth. "What do you want?" he asked maliciously, as though daring them to speak.

"We're looking for a locket. It used to belong to Salazar Slytherin. I believe Mundungus Fletcher sold it to you a few months ago," Harry said calmly, though he clutched his wand under his cloak. He could see Borgin trying to see the face under the hood, but Harry only tilted his head forward more. "We're in a hurry, if you don't mind," Harry said sharply.

"Yeah, he sold it to me," Borgin said, "But I don't seem to remember if we sold it again or not." Harry understood and threw a sack of galleons onto the counter. "We've still got it, but it's going to cost you a lot more than that." The man went into the back again, and came back lugging a heavy wooded case. He opened it and Harry's eyes widened. It was the locket. Right in front of him. Slytherin's locket. The horcrux. "I won't take less than 10,000 galleons for it." Only 10,000? That was less than Harry had expected. The small, though magically enlarged, trunk they carried with them held 12,000 galleons.

Harry put the trunk on the counter. "12,000 galleons and you won't tell anyone you've sold this." As Borgin counted the money, his eyes lighting as he passed 10,000, he handed Harry the heavy box with the locket in it. While his back was turned, Harry, Ron, and Hermione disapparated.

Harry could not believe their luck. They were running back through Hogsmeade, a few students were staring at them as they passed, but Harry didn't notice. The chilly wind whipped at their faces. It seemed to take them forever to get to Harry's empty office.

This was one thing that was always good about being a teacher. Harry, Ron, and Hermione never had to find an empty classroom to avoid being seen. They spent most of their time in his office, thinking up ways to get to the horcruxes. No one ever disturbed them, though Harry didn't know why this was. He supposed it was because he had never had to given anyone detention, as they were all very attentive in his classes, but this was probably not because the classes themselves were so interesting.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione asked as Harry wrapped the necklace in a cloth and shoved it deep into his trunk.

"I'm putting it away," Harry said. "I'm saving this one for right before I kill him." He closed the truck and shoved it back into the bottom of his wardrobe. He couldn't help but go over the list in his head. The ring, the diary, the locket, the snake, the cup, and something of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's. Only two horcruxes left. All they had to do was find the thing of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's, and find Voldemort. When the found Voldemort, they would find the snake.

"Harry, what if someone-"

"No one else knows it's here. Don't tell anyone, not even Ginny or Neville." Ron and Hermione looked as though they had secretly already agreed to this. Harry closed and locked his wardrobe, then sat at his desk. "We still need to find the thing of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's. But…we don't have any idea where to start. Dumbledore said he didn't think it was something of Gryffindor's because the only known artifact was the sword, and that's been in his office since 2nd year. It has to be something of Ravenclaw's. Should we start in the library?"

Ron and Hermione were silent. Harry stared at them. They seemed bemused, as though they couldn't understand what Harry was saying, or why he was saying this. Did they want to stop? Did they wonder why he wasn't destroying the locket?

The weight that had been lifted from Harry's chest early was back, and this time it seemed heavier.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, changed her mind, and started again, "I'll go to the library tomorrow. We should get started on our homework. We'll see you tomorrow, Harry."

They each gave him a weak smile and left the office. He was alone again. For some reason, he liked being alone. Being alone was like being under the invisibility cloak. No one could as him anything. Sometimes when he was alone, he put on the cloak, in case someone wanted to see him. The only time he really talked was during his classes and to Ron and Hermione. Occasionally, Ginny would stop by, but they wouldn't talk. They would just sit together and think. Harry had a lot to think about. The horcruxes, Voldemort, school. He supposed Ginny was thinking about the same things, but worrying more about Harry than them. She didn't talk much either, and always seemed to be looking at him, as if he was going to disappear at any moment.

It was only 6 o'clock, but Harry got into his bed and wrapped himself in the covers. His mind kept straying to the bottom of his trunk, where the locket was safely hidden.

Only one horcrux remained. Hermione was going to start researching in the library tomorrow. Harry felt that tomorrow couldn't come fast enough. They were one-step closer to defeating Voldemort.

As he drifted off to sleep, images floated through his head. The horcruxes floated by, one by one. Ron and Hermione were talking to him, but they were talking in Parseltongue, and then they turned into Ginny. She was softly touching his face, whispering about how happy they would have been together. He blinked and she suddenly turned transparent. "Why, Harry?" her ghost asked, "Why didn't you save me?"

He woke with a start, realized it was just a dream, and then went back to sleep.


End file.
